


All Actions Have Consequences

by ArgentLives



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Consequences, Episode Related, Flashbacks, Gen, Loss of Trust, M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-08-19 20:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8223262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArgentLives/pseuds/ArgentLives
Summary: Barry wants to talk. Cisco is understandably not interested.  [because sometimes sorry isn't good enough; 3x02 speculation]





	

**Author's Note:**

> this is mostly just me & Cisco venting woooo
> 
> (I love Barry but really he needs to learn that his actions don't only affect him and have consequences for other people)

Barry catches him as he’s leaving his therapy group, looking simultaneously guilty and hopeful, and Cisco kind of wants to punch him in the face.

“Are you okay?” Barry asks, and Cisco scowls at him and keeps walking, determined to put Barry behind him. 

Unfortunately, Barry—blissfully oblivious as always—doesn’t take the hint, and falls into step easily behind Cisco. He contemplates running, trying to get away before Barry can pull him into whatever bullshit conversation he’s trying for, but he knows how stupid it would be to try and outrun a speedster.

“Cisco?” Barry says, and Cisco hates the ache in his chest at hearing his name in that voice. He sets his teeth, and keeps walking. “Cisco, come on, you can talk to me, man.”

“Talk to you?” Cisco whirls around, his anger finally breaking through the surface, and Barry very nearly avoids slamming right into him at the abrupt stop. Probably would have, if it weren’t for the super-fast reflexes. “Talk to _you_? Oh, that’s fucking rich.”

“Cisco…what…” Barry trails off, his eyes wide and hurt, looking all the world like a kicked puppy, and Cisco almost feels bad for causing that look on his face before he remembers how miserable that same stupid face has made him, how Barry has no fucking right to look so betrayed when their friendship clearly means nothing to him.

“Look, you’re obviously here because you need my help with something. Just spit it out. Get it over with.”

“I just wanted to see you…to talk, about, you know…there’s a lot going on, and…you’re my friend. We’re in this together.”

Cisco feels something sour crawling up his throat, a bitter taste on his tongue, and before he can stop himself, he’s doubled over, laughing until there are tears in his eyes, probably looking like he’s finally lost it. Honestly, it wouldn’t be too far off the mark, all things considered.

“Friends…together…oh, my God—you—you actually believe that, don’t you, you _asshole_.”

As Cisco struggles to get a hold of himself, he feels a hand rest hesitantly on his shoulder, and immediately recoils like he’s been burned. Images fly through his mind at Barry’s touch—a hand shoved through his chest, over and over and over again…Wally dying, him being rich and successful, Barry’s mom dying…Caitlin’s hair turning white…everyone dying, dying, dying…a million different fragments from a million different fucked-up universes pelting his mind one after the other after the other and _oh God make it stop_ —

“Don’t touch me,” he gasps as the images finally quiet down, leaving him reeling, his back pressed up against the wall as he does his best to put as much space between him and Barry in this narrow little hallway as he can. “Don’t fucking touch me.”

“Cisco, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Barry babbles, and when Cisco looks up, vision swimming with dizziness and tears, Barry’s got his hands up as if in surrender, slowly backing away, and looking devastated. “What—what happened?”

“Did you ever stop to think—” Cisco starts, already knowing the answer to that. Because of course not. Of course he didn’t. “Did you even consider how you going around and messing with time and fucking up the universe would effect the guy who can literally see every alternate timeline you create? Do you know how many fucking nightmares I’ve had about everything—about—Do you know how—how _awful_ —“ he swallows, steeling himself, and forces himself to meet Barry’s gaze. To make him understand.

“You changed _fifteen years_ ’ worth of time, Barry. And all of the timelines that stemmed from events after what you changed and then events stemming from those, and on and on and on and…and I’ve been seeing all of them. Every single change you made, every single change that stemmed from those changes and every change since you set it back and all of the fucked up timelines you’ve created from it, I’ve been getting vibes from all of it, all the damn time. I can’t go a day without my head feeling like it’s going to explode from all of this, and you—you don’t even care. I saw, you know. That you didn’t find me, before, not until you needed my help, and even then it was Iris’s idea. So sorry if I’m finding a little bit hard to believe that you suddenly give a shit about me.”

“Cisco…” Barry says, looking like he’s about to cry. _Good,_ Cisco thinks vindictively, and immediately feels guilty. He wants to kick himself for even still caring at all. “I didn’t know…I didn’t…I’m _sorry_ …”

Cisco stares at him, looking haggard and nothing like the sunny superhero he met years ago. He looks almost as miserable as Cisco feels, and the worst part is that Cisco believes him. And it’s still not enough.

“I have to go,” Cisco whispers, peeling himself away from the wall and forcing his legs to move even though they suddenly feel impossibly heavy. He’s grateful when he doesn’t hear those tell-tale footsteps trailing behind him, and knows that Barry won’t follow him, at least not this time. “And don’t bother looking for Caitlin,” he adds, calling over shoulder without bothering to look back. “I don’t know what you’re expecting, but in this timeline…well. She goes by a different name now.”


End file.
